Kitchen table testing of 10 GHz superconducting electronic circuits

Abstract

As the clock speeds of experimental digital electronic circuits increase beyond the measurement ranges of commercial oscilloscopes, the testing and verification thereof becomes a significant problem. Superconducting circuits add further complications, such as 4 Kelvin operating temperatures, output signal levels of around 300 μV, and the need for comprehensive magnetic field screening. This article discusses the testing of such circuits with minimal equipment and very low budgets.